The treated sewage that the Coimbatore Corporation lets out from its Ukkadam sewage treatment plant may soon irrigate agriculture fields, if the civic body were to act on a farmers’ representation.
The farmers, who are water users under the Parambikulam-Aliyar Irrigation Scheme, under the leadership of S.R. Rajagopal appealed to the civic body to share the treated water from the plant to irrigate their fields in the area.
They have also sought treated water from other treatment plants as and when they turned operational.
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The Corporation officers said that the civic body was considering the proposal as the Commissioner for Municipal Administration, who was in the city a few days ago, had suggested that it takes up a feasibility study along with the Public Works Department.
The Corporation at present lets out the treated sewage - around 30 million litres a day - into River Noyyal.
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170 million litres a day
Mr. Rajagopal said the Corporation alone would be able provide around 170 million litres a day, which if the farmers used through drip irrigation could help irrigate 17,000 acre for an agriculture season.
The proposal had more benefits than one - use of treated sewage for agriculture, round the year availability of water for irrigation and conservation of water in tanks in Noyyal system.
If the farmers were to use the treated sewage, their dependence on water from Noyyal tanks would come down. And, if the tanks continued to store water, the groundwater level too would increase, he explained.
The Corporation officers said that if the project were to materialise, the civic body would pump the treated sewage up to a point - a collection well, from where the farmers would have to share it. The Commissioner for Municipal Administration had suggested that the farmers form a society to share the same.